Direct quotation
Against Julian 4.9.55
His position is a bedbug: alive it causes trouble, and crushed it gives off a stench.
I am ashamed to crush him by defeating him.
As though defeated, he has fled to filthy places, and recoil from following and killing him.
Because I am forced to speak about the sexual organs, my modesty, like a temple keeper, has excluded from free expression the parts of my argument that would crush or destroy him.
Latin
Sententiam meam cimicem - dicis - qui ut molestiam vivus, sic fetorem praestat attritus
verecunderis
vincendo me atterere
tamquam victus ad loca
caenosa confugerim, exhorreas consequi atque perimere: quia videlicet partes disputationis tuae, quibus atterendus vel perimendus sum, quoniam de pudendis loqui cogeris, velut quidam aedituus pudor tuus a verborum
libertate submovit
About this text
Earlier four-book work to Turbantius, surviving as excerpts arranged by Augustine’s witness. Latin source text is on each section when recovered.
English follows Julian’s words as Augustine excerpts them in Against Julian. This is not a recovered complete To Turbantius.
Witnesses
- Copy-text Augustine, Against Julian (Latin · Excerpts arranged by Augustine’s books)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.